Chain Reactions
by Bludge
Summary: A stag party, girl’s night out, music, the ex and alcohol; sound like a sure recipe for disaster………… Or does it? N/S


Disclaimer: I don't own this. I have merely borrowed the characters (excluding O.C), but if Greg 'happens' to get lost in my bedroom, I'll be quite happy to keep him there! ;o) Nor do I own 'Want You' - by Third Eye Blind.  
  
A/N: Hello all. This is my first pure N/S piece (only one chapter) and really it's a load of fluff! This is a reposting after it's finally been proofed. Special thanks to my beta Brianna for proofing this and giving me the push to write this originally. Also a special thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far. I found out that this fic has been nominated at the N/S awards; so if you think it's worthy, please vote. Thanks. R&R and ENJOY!!! - Bex  
  
The night club buzzed with people out having a good time; dancing to the load music, getting 'friendly' with strangers and taking a break from their usual walk of life. All that is, except Nick Stokes. He sat with his soon to be brother-in-law, absentmindedly-flicking peanuts into an empty beer glass, whilst the rest of the stag party enjoyed themselves.  
  
"I thought the whole point of coming here was to actually have fun," Pete pointed out, as Nick missed the beer glass and his peanut hit the back of some guy's neck.  
  
"Nope," Nick replied lining up another nut, "The point of me coming was to make sure you didn't cheat on my sister."  
  
"Hey I love Rachel to bits. I won't dream of it. But you my friend haven't got a girlfriend to worry about, so you are allowed to dance with one of these hotties here," He said as he caught the nut in mid-flight.  
  
Nick glared at him slightly. "Who says I haven't got a girlfriend?"  
  
"The fact that you're attending my wedding alone and your mother's already planning to set you up."  
  
"You're kidding?" Nick groaned, knowing how unsuccessful his mother's blind dates were. The last girl had only recently gotten divorced and he'd spent the entire night listening to her ramble incoherently as she continually sobbed.  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Well I could look on the bright side, Rachel met you on one."  
  
Pete laughed into his drink. "Only because I happened to be there to save her from her date. Come on Nick, you were a right ladies man when I met you. What's changed?"  
  
"Things," Nick answered cryptically.  
  
His friend stared at him over his glass to Nick's discomfort. Then after a few minutes of analysis, a knowing look spread across his face. "Ok, own up. Who is she?"  
  
"Who's who?" Nick replied quickly, the question taking him by surprise.  
  
"Nick, there are four reason why a guy doesn't hit on any chicks: 1 - he's taken, 2 - he's just been through a tough break up, 3 - he's gay, and 4 - he's in love with someone else. So unless the 'ladies man' reputation is just a front to hide the fact you're really dating Greg, I'm going with option 4." Pete watched his friend intensely as he waited for an answer. When he received none, he decided to press on: "So what's up with her? Is she taken? Come on Nicky, you can tell Uncle Pete."  
  
He sighed. "She's single, just in love with someone else."  
  
"Ah."  
  
"What's 'Ah' supposed to mean?" Nick demanded.  
  
Pete shrugged. "Have no idea. I thought it made me sound like I was sympathising with you. You sister always seems to think it does."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"For god's sakes, will you stop staring into the bottom of your glass as if wishing to drown in it and actually attempt to pretend you're having fun!"  
  
Sara Sidle sheepishly placed down her glass and looked up at her three friends. She offered them an apologetic smile, only to receive disappointed sighs in response. "I thought the point in coming here was to work on your people skills," Tina, the blond, reminded her.  
  
"No. The only reason I'm here is because you're fed up with me hiding in my shell and acting like suicide on legs," Sara corrected.  
  
"Damn straight. So why have our attempts failed? You're not still moping about Hank?"  
  
"Hell no!"  
  
"Please don't tell us that you're still hooked on your superior?" Amy, the short brunette, demanded. "What was his name again? Bug-man?"  
  
Sara sighed heavily and took a good gulp of her drink.  
  
"Nope. He turned me down. I moved on."  
  
"Thank god!" Tina exclaimed. "He was like old enough to be your dad."  
  
"He was only 15 years older," Sara defended.  
  
"Which is the same age gap between my dad and me," Carrie, the ginger with freckles, piped in. The others nodded. "So why haven't you found another guy already?"  
  
"How about one of the other guys you work with?" Amy suggested. "That Greg guy, the one you said was cute but a goofball?"  
  
"Or then there's Warrick," Tina added. "I've seen a picture of him and I wouldn't kick him out of bed!"  
  
"Then there's - Nick is it? The one with the sexy Texan accent? I'd definitely like to get my claws into him!" Carrie smiled seductively and sipped her drink.  
  
Sara rolled her eyes. "Sluts," She teased.  
  
"And lovin' it!" Tine retorted, as they cracked up with laugher and downed the last of their drinks.  
  
"No, but seriously Sar, you need a man. There are plenty more fish in the sea and you need to go find your fish," Amy stated and the others let out a chorus of 'yeahs' in agreement. "And I'd be quite happy to take the left- overs off your hands!"  
  
"Well ladies, the jug is empty, there for must be filled," Carrie announced as she held up the empty jug. "Sidle, I believe it's your round."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Hey Nick, check out that brunette."  
  
"Where?" Nick asked, looking around at the mass of bodies.  
  
"The one approaching the bar in a red halter and tight black trousers." Pete pointed and Nick's gaze followed. He spied the back of her as she made an order, suddenly giving him the feeling that there was something familiar about her. But what?  
  
"She's a cutie," Pete added and trusted some money at Nick, "Here."  
  
He stared blankly down at the money, then back at Pete. "We're not in the strip club anymore, you can't buy dances here."  
  
"Ha ha ha, I think not! Go buy her a drink, get to know her, and if you don't like her move on."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Just go!" Pete ordered firmly and shoved him to his feet.  
  
Reluctantly, Nick took the money and started to battle his way over to the bar. As he got closer, he wondered how he was going to do this. Should he use a chat up line or just a friendly 'Hi, can I have the honours of buying you a drink'? Deciding that if the girl was as hot as Pete made her out to be, she'd probably heard enough dodgy chat up lines for the evening, he swallowed and tapped her lightly on the shoulder.  
  
"Hi, I was wonderin-" He began, before she spun round so quickly that she almost tipped the contents of her jug over him.  
  
"Sorry," She apologised timidly, as they both looked up at the same time, making their first eye contact.  
  
"Sara!" Nick yelped in surprise.  
  
"Nick!" Sara replied in the same tone. "Um... why are you here?"  
  
"I'm actually..." Nick started as he began to point to where the stag party was gathered. The other members had already raised their glasses in a salute to him as they cheered boisterously. "Not with them," He lied lamely, then swiftly change the topic, "So why are you here?"  
  
Sara was just about to answer when an attractive blond wearing a short, low- cut red dress and black stilettos butted in; "Sara, we were wonder..." Her voice trailed off when she saw Nick to be replaced with a sly smile. "Hel- lo! Who's your new friend Sar?"  
  
Sara tried to answer again, but the music changed and her friend let out a delighted squeal at the intro. "She loves this song. And she would love to dance," She told Nick with a wink. Before Sara could argue, Tina grabbed the jug and hurried off. "Later Sidle."  
  
~ Suckers lose themselves in the games they learn to play.  
  
Children love to sing but then their voices,  
  
Slowly fade away.  
  
People always take a step away,  
  
From what is true.  
  
That's why I like you around,  
  
I want you ~  
  
The pair watched in bafflement as she left, then turned to look at each other. "Um...." Sara tried to think of something to say. "I gue..."  
  
Nick cut her off. "Would you like to dance?"  
  
~ Yeah you do you do you do you do you do you do you do, You make me want you~  
  
Sara eyes skittered around. "You know our friends think we're strangers," She pointed out.  
  
"So why don't we be just that then?" He suggested and, with a smirk, he extended a hand. "Hi my name is Mike. I was just wondering if the most gorgeous woman here would care to dance with me?"  
  
Sara felt herself blush, then she gave in and took his hand. "Hi Mike, I'm... Chriss. I would love to dance."  
  
She allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor and warp his arms around her waist.  
  
~ An open invitation to the dance,  
  
Happenstance set the vibe that we're in.  
  
No apology because my urge is genuine,  
  
And the mystery of your rhythm is so feminine.  
  
Here I am and I wanna take a hit,  
  
Of your scent cause it bit.  
  
So deep into my soul,  
  
Ooh i want you.  
  
Yeah you do you do you do you do,  
  
you do you do you do,  
  
you make me want you.~  
  
Awkwardly, she placed her arms around his neck, but soon began to relax as they swayed together to the beat. "So what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" Nick asked with a crooked smile.  
  
"Definitely not waiting to hear that line," She retorted and he laughed, sending a tingle up her spin.  
  
She tried to break their gaze, but her eyes seemed locked with his. Something about them made them so hypnotic and they had caught her in their trance. 'It's only Nick,' she reminded herself, though the words carried no effect.  
  
~ (Send me all your vampires)  
  
And I can't get enough,  
  
And I can't get enough,  
  
And i can't get enough.  
  
The village churchyard is filled with,  
  
Bones weeping in the grave,  
  
A silver lining of clouds,  
  
Shines on people Jesus couldn't save.  
  
You want to know how deeply my soul goes?  
  
Deeper than bones...deeper than bones.~  
  
Nick was incredibly aware of how close they were. It amazed him how she always looked so beautiful and how he realised that it was only ever really a matter of time before he fell for her. His lips were only inches away from her that he could feel her breath tickle his neck. All he had to do was lean down and close the gap. He felt his heart begin to race in his chest.  
  
~ And I can't get enough,  
  
Ooh, I can't get enough,  
  
And I cant get enough,  
  
And I cant get enough.~  
  
A rebellious strand of hair fell in front of her face and Nick raised a hand to brush it away. He gently slid it behind her ear; but instead of removing his hand, he allowed it to linger, captured by the moment.  
  
She stared at him, completely intoxicated by the music. She knew that something was about to happen; she could just feel it. A spark of chemistry passed between them and Nick began to lean closer.  
  
"Nick," Sara warned quietly.  
  
"I believe I should be offended. My name's Mike," He whispered with false puzzlement. Then he leaned in to kiss her.  
  
~ After we did it by the windowsill,  
  
Smoke rings drift into the midnight sky.  
  
And me and the quilt that your mother made,  
  
A candle burns to fight off the gloom.  
  
You said "to live this way is not for the meek"  
  
And like a jazz DJ you talk me into sleep" ~  
  
"Nick," Sara said abruptly and backed out of his hold.  
  
"What?" Nick asked with genuine confusion.  
  
"Just...it's just....just..." She stuttered, then turned and ran off into the crowd; leaving him to stare after her, completely bewildered. He watched the other couple dance together, whilst he stood there alone on the dance floor, until the song came to an end.  
  
~ I said "There'll be no regrets when the worms come"  
  
And they, shall surely come.  
  
you do you do you do you do,  
  
you do you do you do.  
  
Send me all your vampires,  
  
I want you ~  
  
Sara dashed back to the bar, mentally kicking herself. She had no idea what had just happened; one moment they were dancing and then... 'Then he tried to kiss you Sidle and you just panicked,' an annoying voice told her. 'Admit it, the only reason you're so freaked is because you feel the same way.'  
  
She cringed and - by not paying attention to where she was going - bumped into some guy by the bar. "Sor-" She began to apologise then froze. "Hank?"  
  
Hank looked just as surprise, but then it passed. "Hey, why didn't you return any of my calls?" He demanded.  
  
"Because it's over," She stated sternly.  
  
He gave her an amused smile. "Really?"  
  
"Really," She repeated, then caught him glancing over her shoulder. She looked behind herself to see an elegant Chinese girl near by, who waved at Hank. "I see you've got someone else to cheat with" She spat in disgust.  
  
"Come on Sara. Wake up," Hank jeered, "As if any man would only want you." He laughed spitefully when she didn't have a come back.  
  
Hank left her numbly standing there, as he walked off wearing a victorious smile. Sara turned towards the bar. "Hey," She called to the barman gaining his attention, "I want one of your strongest drinks."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Nick hadn't seen Sara for almost an hour and it worried him. He fought his way through the jumble of people as he continued his search. He had to find her to apologize for what happened. To explain.  
  
At last he found her slumped at the bar. As he got closer, he realised that two things were very wrong; first was the fact she was in deep conversation with a bowl of nuts, second was the fact - Nick decided from her laughter - that the bowl had apparently said something really funny in return.  
  
"Sara?"  
  
She looked up at him and a lazy smile spread across her face. "Howdy cowboy!" She called as she waved vigorously. Then she continued to wave, as she watched her hand flicker back and forth in front of her eyes. "Wow, I have like 15 fingers. Ewww!"  
  
He grabbed her hand to stop her and the stench of alcohol reached his nose. Spotting a half-empty glass on the bar, he put two and two together. "Are you drunk?"  
  
She wrenched her hand from his grip and tried to glare - only managing to make herself look like a squashed fish. "I resent that unjust accusation."  
  
"How much have you had to drink?"  
  
She smiled widely and proudly held out 9 fingers. "Five glasses." Then she finished her last, "Six!"  
  
"And why did you feel the need to do this?" He questioned, using the same disappointed tone he used when telling off his six-year-old niece.  
  
"Bumped into Hank," She mumbled, depressed. "Damn him! May he rot in hell or spend the rest of his life selling cheese - no wait; I like cheese. Um... beef jerky, yeah! Or better yet, may he rot in hell selling beef jerky! I'll show him how precious I am. Just you see; he'll come crawling back...not that I want him back." She finished mindlessly rambling and tried to take a swig from her empty glass. Confused, she stared carefully at it. "Hey! Who finished my drink?"  
  
Nick let out a heavy sighed and tried to help her up. "Sara, I think you've had enough."  
  
"NO!" She protested and wriggled from his grasp. "I'm not as drunk as tinkle peep I am. Ohhhh, the world's spinning. I think I need to sit down."  
  
"You are sitting down."  
  
"Oh," She looked down at her bar stool in surprise, then grinned cheerfully. "Good for me."  
  
She tried to stand up, only for her knees to buckle underneath her. Her arms flung out, grabbing hold of Nick's shirt and almost taking him down with her. "That's it," Nick stated, pulling her to her feet, "I'm taking you home."  
  
She pouted and jabbed a finger at his chest. "I don't care how sexy you are, if you touch me without my permission I'll be force to scream grape!"  
  
Nick merely rolled his eyes at the threat. "Yeah, whatever," He muttered, before picking her up into a fireman's-lift over his shoulder. He started to carry her out of the club as she giggled madly.  
  
"He, he! You're butt's even cuter close up!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
After a mini struggle trying to force Sara into the car, which wasn't helped by the fact that she kept feebly hitting him around the head, he got in, just to have her refuse to hand over her house keys. Giving up, Nick started the car and decided to take her back to his apartment.  
  
The drive was travelled in almost complete silence, which was broken every time Sara started to sing drunkenly to herself. He pulled the car to a halt near his apartment, got out, then walked round and opened Sara's door for her. She glared at him. "I can walk perfectly fine," She stated firmly as she fell out the car.  
  
Luckily, Nick managed to catch her before she hit the ground and picked her up again while she snickered, "I heard milk's good for the body, but baby, how much do you drink?"  
  
Nick sighed, "Trust you to use crappy lines when you're smashed."  
  
He lugged her up to his apartment, somehow managed to fumble the keys into the lock and open the door. "You know I feel like a bride on her honeymoon," Sara gurgled as he switched on the lights. "Nicky, I don't feel so good."  
  
Quickly, he took her into the bathroom and set her down beside the toilet. He sat next to her, stroking her back as she hurled. Then he collected a glass of water from the kitchen and returned to find her huddled beside the loo. "Here," He said, pressing the glass to her lips, "It'll help."  
  
"No," She mumbled in weak protest, but obediently drank the water.  
  
"You've finished throwing up?" He asked and she nodded faintly. "Ok, I think you need to get some rest."  
  
He helped the sluggish Sara into his bedroom and laid her down on the bed. "Aha! I always knew that you were just trying to seduce me, Mr Stokes!" She exclaimed triumphantly.  
  
"Under any other circumstances that may be true," He admitted, pulling the covers over her body, "But right now I'm not going to take advantage of you."  
  
"Awww come on," She moaned, patting the bed with a playfully look, "There's plenty of room for both of us."  
  
"Night Sara," Nick said firmly. He had just turned to go and sleep on the couch, when a hand grabbed his wrist. Looking down, he saw Sara looking back up with vulnerable eyes; the playful gleam vanished.  
  
"Please don't leave me Nick" She begged, and for the first time she looked scared. Nick let a small smile touch his lips and he nodded. She shuffled over so he could slip under the covers beside her; then she laid her head against his chest, as he protectively wrapped his arms around her. It didn't take long before she was out like a light.  
  
Nick stared into the gloom, enjoying holding her close and listening to their hearts beat in time. Tenderly, he kissed her head. "You realise I love you," He whispered knowing that she couldn't hear him.  
  
She murmured something in her sleep, too muffled for him to hear, but it made him smile none the less. He just watched over her as she slept 'til sleep found him too.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sara's dreams were shattered by the phone's shrill ringing. Without thinking, she groggily fumbled for the phone and picked it up. "Hello?" She asked as she rubbed her throbbing head.  
  
"Hi," an unsure male voice answered. "Um.... I was trying to call Nick Stokes."  
  
Her eyes shot open at these words and her gaze trailed down to the arm still round her waist, then it travelled back along to the owner. Grimacing, she was glad to see that they were both fully clothed, but had no idea what had happened. 'Well, it looks like he didn't take advantage of me,' She thought and smiled at how sweet he looked asleep.  
  
"Nick Stokes...Um...no I think you've got the wro-" She began to lie, but cut herself off. "We don't know each other right?"  
  
"Um, no, but I think we might soon," The other person replied.  
  
"And you don't know Greg, Warrick, Grissom, Catherine or anyone else from the crime lab?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Ok, hold on then," She ordered and reluctantly tried to wake Nick. "Nick, honey, you need to wake up."  
  
When the gentle pushing failed, she leaned down and kissed him on the lips. His eyelids opened hastily, only to be replaced by a dazed smile when he saw who it was. "Hey."  
  
She smiled back and handed him the phone; "It's for you."  
  
He took it from her and quickly stole another kiss before answering. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey Nick, it's me," Pete greeted merrily. "I was wondering where you got to last night, but I guess now I know. Sounds like you're not coming to the wedding alone after all....  
  
~The End~  
  
A/N: What do you think? Go on; hit that button and tell me NOW!! Or vote; that's even better! Lol! :o) 


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